Eight Romanian professors of medicine are being prosecuted for allegedly taking kickbacks to help foreign students pass their exams or get a key diploma, prosecutors said on Thursday.

The eight—among 36 people under investigation—are suspected of taking up to 400 euros ($467) a head for providing answers by SMS during examinations and for upgrading marks so that students got a pass.

Several students also bought theses written by their professor for 500-600 euros apiece, enabling them to get their end-of-year diploma, the said.

The alleged scam, centered on two universities in the western city of Arad, involved a number of , including two computer technicians.

A search of their homes yielded 350,000 euros, the investigators said.

The students were mainly from North Africa and Italy. Three of them are also being prosecuted.